SXSW Interactive at the BlueMix Blast!!!
For the last 5 years I've had the opportunity to attend SXSW in Austin, Texas.
More than 60,000 people annually attend the conference, which is consistently an overwhelmingly impressive display of up-and-coming technologies and inspirational industry thought leaders. This year, the two biggest highlights of the conference were enjoying creative culinary delights such as a burrito cooked by the Institute of Culinary Education chefs at the Watson Food Truck and having an opportunity to spend so much time with developers.
If you had a chance to interact with more than 10,000 developers at once what would you ask them? I spoke with hundreds of developers and asked them to tell me about how they are using cloud, mobile, big data and analytics to innovate, address business pain points or create the next big consumer app. For example, wearable technology such as clothing that uses, sensors to help better manage an individual's health.
During SXSW I first met with designers and front-end developers at our BlueMix Blast! See this amazing team below!
In 2013, IBM unveiled a product design studio in Austin, which has brought together hundreds of designers and front-end developers to focus on how software is designed, developed and consumed by organizations around the globe. Next, I attended IBM's BlueMix Party along with more than 400 developers looking for an opportunity to learn about BlueMix, IBM's new platform-as-service (PaaS) that combines the strength of IBM software, third-party and open technologies.
What is BlueMix?
BlueMix is an open-standards, cloud-based platform for building, managing and running apps of all types (web, mobile, big data, new smart devices). Capabilities include Java, mobile backend development, application monitoring, as well as capabilities from ecosystem partners and open source — all through an as-a-service model in the cloud. When thinking about BlueMix, imagine tapping into DevOps in the cloud -- an open, integrated development experience that scales, helping developers, independent firms and enterprise teams get started to build enterprise applications more quickly and effectively.
If you are curious about how BlueMix can help a business, check out this video conversation I recently had with Michael Garel, CEO and Founder of eyeQ, about customer engagement and how BlueMix allowed them to simplify and improve their development process:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7_UT02jVfQ
During my conversation with developers at SXSW three key points on the future of the developer and cloud ecosystem stood out to me:
1. It's all about the tools.
Developers today are always on the look-out to tap into systems and tools that simplify and reduce the time needed to create an application and to provision it so that they can focus on what they do best—innovating and developing top quality applications. By using the right tools that eliminate complexity, developers can quickly turn their ideas into shipped products fast and lower their time-to-market by cutting application development and deployment times from months to days and hours.
2. Keep an open mind when it comes to open standards.
An open, flexible cloud environment connecting the enterprise and born-on-the-web developers using their choice of tools in a scalable model prevents vendor lock-in, accelerates innovation and fosters growth.
3. The developer community keeps growing in size and creativity.
According to Evans Data, there are more than 18 million software developers worldwide yet less than 25 percent are developing for the cloud today. The developer population is expected to grow to 26.4M by 2016 and the parentage of developers expected to develop in the cloud will grow by 44% to 12.5M by 2019.
With new tools, ideas and processes being brought to the table every day, it's an incredibly exciting time for developers to jump into the sandbox of their choice and start creating! To start experimenting with Bluemix today visit: https://www.ibmdw.net/bluemix/
What happens when Watson goes in the kitchen? A culinary riot...
Live from the Watson food truck: video set of key takeaways from SXSW part 2!
The journey into the heart of innovation continues here at SXSW! Let me share with you what has been trending here in Austin.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zbzCEYaTUY&w=560&h=315]
I'd love to hear your feedback!
Video Set of Key takeaways from SXSW part 1!
As someone pointed out yesterday: SXSW is not a conference but a festival. A festival of innovation I'd say! So what are some of the key takeaways from SXSW this year? Let me explain in this video...
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-8vCXUftuM&w=420&h=315]
If you are at SXSW, remember to come check out all the exciting activities from IBM!
Social influence matters. Period.
PEP up your organization with an influencer program!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--zy6vhTLw4&feature=youtu.be]
Austin Entrepreneur Mike Little, MyMenu: bringing mobile, big data, and SOCIAL to restaurants!
Here in Austin Texas at SXSW! I felt compelled to make sure we celebrate MyMenu, winner of IBM's AppThrowdown at Pulse!
I recently caught up with Mike Little, CEO, MyMenu who explained how he is developing mobile solutions for restaurants that leverage the cloud and big data to help build client engagement.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rm6tkJ7yvQ?rel=0]
MyMenu are one of the early adopters of IBM BlueMix.
Who will win the title of the IBM SxSW Mobile Marketing Master?
It could be you!! During SxSW, IBM is holding the IBM Mobile Web Push Marketing Challenge. We are looking for creative mobile campaigns created with IBM Mobile Web Push.
IBM Mobile Web Push delivers personalized push notifications to mobile and tablet website viewers. Subscribers will get fast access to this service through the IBM Cloud for business online marketplace to start creating highly targeted and personalized web push notifications in minutes. No databases, no programming, no headaches.
Submission consists of a 3 minute (or less) video showing:
- Mobile Web Push marketing campaign
- A short (500 word or less) testimonial of your experience.
- Videos posted on YouTube
- Videos must be received by March 14th
The Mobile Marketing Master will be announced in this blog on March 17th and showcased on IBM’s website.
Submissions will be evaluated based on:
Ingenuity (creative integration, elegance, novel use, etc.)
User Experience (memorable, visually striking, emotive, etc.)
Build your brand! Socialize your expertise! Submit your application today!
Take a look at a sample marketing campaign here . It was created in 90 seconds!
Get a jump start on the competition and sign up right now for a 30 day free trial and submit your video selection as the SxSW Mobile Marketing Master, or, if you want to talk to someone about this awesome product, come on by the Expo Booth 328/330 at SXSW and check out how IBM Mobile Web Push delivers personalized push notifications to mobile and tablet website viewers.
Mar 8th - 'Get Bold' book signing at SXSW: learn the fundamentals of engagement in the age of digital!
SXSW is the place to be, come March 7th, and IBM will not be missing out! Each year we have a bigger and bigger presence, and the list goes on… but I’m saving that for another post.
In the meantime, block off 4PM on Saturday, March 8 to purchase a signed copy of my book "Get Bold: Using Social Media to Create a New Type of Social Business" in the SW Bookstore.
Key topics I cover in the book include aligning organizational goals and culture, building trust and designing for reputation and risk management. With over 60 references from major brands!
Jeffrey Gitomer says "Sandy Carter has not just written a book, she has set a standard. Get Bold is NOT an option, it's an imperative."
Guy Kawasaki says "For crying out loud, IBM 'gets' social media. Don't you think it's about time that you do? This is the book to get you started."
I'm proud to say that this book has been the #1 best seller at the IBM Pulse and IBM Connect conferences already this year!
Now a big theme at SXSW this year is how we build better engagement: as brands, individuals and citizens. Let me share with you a model for engagement in this excerpt from Get Bold:
How Do You Engage?
There are three essential techniques that we have found have the greatest success rate. I call these the Three I's:
- Interact (mobile, gaming, gifting, location-based services, crowdsourcing)
- Integrate (online, offline)
- Identify (content, emotion, personalize)
Note that each of these is a two-way engagement:
- To interact means that your clients or employees become active participants. For example, in gaming, they are playing the game, as you are teaching and instructing them in a fun way.
- To integrate means that your company will have online and offline engagements that fit together to form a full picture of your company. So you will not see one view in an event online and a different personality of the company in a store. If you are not integrated in your approach, engagement is weakened.
- In identification, the key is to identify with our clients or employees and to personalize your approach in engaging with them. Your goal is to provide them an experience that is just for them. They comment on your blog because it speaks in their voice, or about their passion, and gets them involved.
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Want to learn more? Come to the book signing on Saturday, March 8 and pick up your copy of Get Bold!
It's a BlueMix Party at SXSW and YOU'RE INVITED! MONDAY
OK, here's the lowdown.
We're having a party at SXSW with food and drink and you're invited! If you're a developer who's always looking for the latest and greatest technology to build on, or have an idea for the next big mobile app, this party is for you!
Register at http://bit.ly/1i3eWok and use the promotional code, SMAC_at_SXSW.
You'll have the opportunity to learn about BlueMix, IBM's open platform for developing and deploying omni-channel applications. Think about it, this could be the perfect environment for your next big project!
And, do you remember the supercomputer that won Jeopardy? We want YOU to put Watson to work with IBM's Watson Mobile Developer Challenge! Learn how you can submit your ideas for a mobile application powered with Watson's powerful cognitive computing technology.
Take advantage of this awesome networking event and the opportunity to learn more about the latest and greatest IBM technology.
So let's get the food, drink, and ideas flowing! I look forward to seeing you there!